


a feast for the heart

by afjakwrites



Series: afjak writes flash fanfiction [27]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Air Nomads (Avatar), Cooking, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Presents, Surprise Kissing, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25189003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afjakwrites/pseuds/afjakwrites
Summary: “Zuko!” Aang cries, laughing incredulously into the man’s shoulder. “This is the nicest thing ever, I—I don’t know what to say. I could kiss you right now!”“Okay,” Zuko manages after a moment, cheeks aflame, voice strangled.
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: afjak writes flash fanfiction [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619170
Comments: 26
Kudos: 490





	a feast for the heart

**Author's Note:**

> _30\. Cooking_

It isn’t anything special at first glance. Zuko nearly passes it by as he ambles through the bustling market, halting when his brain registers the familiar symbol of the air nomads. He turns on his heel, his guards stumbling hastily backward to get out of his way as he rushes forward and scoops a small, weathered booklet bound by tattered ribbon off a table of mismatched items. Dust coats the cover of the book, but he can just make out the word ‘Recipes’ scrawled at the top in faded ink. Underneath the title, in the center of the book, it looks as though someone else has affixed the Air Nomad symbol to the front cover. 

He flips the book open and thumbs through the flimsy yellow pages. This is a fake, most likely. The Air Nomads weren't much for worldly possessions, and the few personal effects an airbender might have had were most likely destroyed along with them. But Zuko thinks he remembers Aang mentioning one of the treats that’s named in the book, and that’s enough for him to make a hasty decision. He asks the vendor how much it costs, and hands the money over without a second of hesitation even while nearby market goers gawk and gape at the price.

Zuko hurries back to the Palace with his latest purchase and immediately sends for a historian. It takes far longer than Zuko would like, but it is eventually determined that the book is, in fact, most likely an authentic Air Nomad artifact. Zuko stares reverently down at the book when the news is delivered, thinking of nothing but Aang. He can imagine Aang’s reaction now, the bright, gleeful smile that will spread across his face when Zuko presents it to him. 

He orders for copies to be made immediately, and keeps the original stored away for safety. Then, he invites Aang to visit the Fire Nation at his earliest convenience. Aang, who is currently in the Northern Water Tribe, replies quickly—he’ll be there in a month. Zuko’s heart flutters. He starts preparing immediately. 

For the next month, he spends every spare minute in the kitchen, poring over a copy of the recipe book with his kitchen staff. They work hard to perfect as many dishes as possible, struggling more than Zuko is willing to admit along the way. Many of the necessary ingredients are inaccessible to them on such short notice, and a fair number of the recipes call for techniques that were lost to the world along with the Air Nomads. 

In the end, Zuko is still proud of his kitchen staff (and himself, though he doesn’t say so aloud). The day of Aang’s arrival is finally upon them, and he’s been hard at work in the kitchen since dawn expertly preparing traditional Air Nomad dishes. Cooks bustle in every direction, putting the final touches on various plates before having them sent to the banquet hall. Aang arrives just as Zuko, still clad in an apron and sporting a rather disheveled bun, enters the throne room with a plate of dumplings cradled in his hands. 

For once, Aang does not pounce on Zuko immediately upon seeing him. He’s already blinking, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the feast laid out before him. There’s a glossiness to his eyes, and Zuko hurries to set the plate down and shuck off his apron. He slides a hand through his hair as he rounds the table and comes to Aang’s side. 

The airbender finally looks up at him, and  _ Agni _ , he’s so beautiful Zuko nearly swoons. Aang’s soft grey eyes are filled with tears, his suntanned cheeks a delightful shade of red, his plush lips hanging open. Zuko holds his gaze steady and lays a gentle hand on his shoulder, snapping Aang from his trance. 

“Zuko,” he says at length, the whispered word a far cry from the jovial shout he usually greets the Firelord with. “How did you…?”

Zuko walks toward a small chest at the center of the table, opening it to extract the book. “Um, I found this. It’s—My historians think it’s authentic. S-So I thought… You might like to have some food you probably haven’t had in a while. Um.” Zuko’s voice peters out awkwardly, realizing just how sappy he must sound. He’s blushing like mad, his hands trembling as he holds the book out to Aang. 

Aang accepts the book and gazes reverently down at it, cradling it in his hands as if it’s the most precious thing he’s ever laid eyes on. Zuko watches him carefully flick through a few pages, watches tears well up in his eyes and streak down his cheeks. Aang holds the book aloft and wipes furiously at his eyes when he realizes this, unwilling to let a single tear stain the delicate pages. 

After a moment, Aang carefully closes the book and sets it on the edge of the table. He turns toward Zuko, his eyes still wide and teary, and beams so brightly Zuko is half-worried he’ll go blind from the sheer force of that sunny smile. Aang’s eyes are crinkled at the corners, his cheeks a rosy red. He jumps forward with a gust of air, throwing himself into Zuko and hooking his arms around the man’s shoulders. Zuko can’t help a grin of his own from forming. He flings his arms around Aang’s waist and swings him in a circle, laughing delightedly when the teen’s feet kick up into the air and he clings tighter. 

“Zuko!” Aang cries, laughing incredulously into the man’s shoulder. “This is the nicest thing ever, I—I don’t know what to say. I could kiss you right now!”

Zuko freezes, his grip slipping slightly as his mind goes blank. Aang lets his hand slip from around his shoulders and sets his feet on the ground, taking a half-step back to meet Zuko’s eyes. He’s still beaming so brightly, looking so damn happy, oblivious to the effect his words have on Zuko. 

“Okay,” Zuko manages after a moment, cheeks aflame, voice strangled. His amber eyes are stuck on the small patch of tile between their feet—they’re standing so close they’re nearly toe-to-toe. 

Aang pauses. His smile falters. “What?” He asks, confusion setting in. 

Zuko somehow manages to go even redder, suddenly realizing what a stupid thing he’s just said. In an attempt to remedy his mistake, he begins to ramble. “I-I mean—! I was just—um. I’m glad you like it. I hope everything tastes good. Some of the recipes were difficult to understand, and I’m not sure we did them all justice, b-but. I, uh. I-I’m glad you’re here. I mean, I’m glad you’re here to try all of this, n-not because I’ve been thinking about you nonstop, or—”

Aang shuts him by kissing him. A calloused hand hooks around the back of his neck and pulls him forward, pressing their lips together. A small shudder runs through Zuko and all the strength is instantly sapped from his body. His shoulders go slack, his lips parting invitingly, and he falls into the younger man with a soft moan of pleasure. Aang tastes of mango, tangy and sweet and utterly intoxicating. 

Zuko can’t bring himself to pull away, so it’s Aang who breaks their liplock to grin cheerily at him. “So, should we eat?”


End file.
